Sussex

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It took Brighton just 35 seconds to find the response they were looking for in their commanding 3-0 win against Wolves on Saturday.

The Seagulls were undone by two early Newcastle goals in a disappointing 3-1 defeat at St James' Park last weekend.

This time, though, it was Fabian Hurzeler's side that delivered quickfire blows inside the first five minutes to seize control against Wolves.

Full-back Maxim De Cuyper replaced the injured Mats Wieffer and provided the assists for both goals - first floating in a cross for Jack Hinshelwood to score his fourth of the season.

It was further proof of the 21-year-old relishing the number 10 role offered to him by manager Hurzeler in February.

Brighton had one league win in 13 games when Hinshelwood was moved behind striker Danny Welbeck in the 2-0 win at Brentford. Since then, they have won seven of their 10 games.

But with two games still to play and sixth place likely to secure Champions League football, the stakes remain very high for Brighton, with Bournemouth, Brentford, Chelsea and Everton still in contention.

Hearing the Champions League anthem at the Amex next season might not have been high on most supporters' wishlists, but it is now a possibility - and would be a fitting reward for Hurzeler after he committed his future to the club with a new deal until 2029.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler talking to the BBC's Final Score: "Good start, really good start, two goals definitely helped our game and then we created a few more chances. We defended really well.

"Second half we got a bit sloppy, not that intense or high quality in our actions. We defended well, we tried, we kept going, I think it was a deserved win."

On upcoming games and European hopes: "We have to go all in now and approach it as unchanged. We will keep going and focus on the things we can control and our performance and then we will see what happens."

Brighton's Lewis Dunk speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Started the game top, 2-0, started excellently. Took the foot of the gas the second part of the first half, got sloppy. And then second half they had to come out stronger and it was a bit end-to-end, but we scored the three and kept a clean sheet - it was massive."

On being back, scoring and his celebration: "I've been dying for one, I've had a lot of chances this and last season, but I should've got more. It's nice to get on the scoresheet.

"I want to score goals. I'm good at scoring goals. It's been frustrating, but now I have one I can hopefully get another next week.

"Our kit man, Buzz, his son had a brain tumour and had surgery two weeks ago. He is recovering well so we wanted to send him some love. He's the nicest and happiest kid. I always get videos of him chatting about the Seagulls and we wanted to give some love to him."

On a potential return to Europe: "I think if you look at that period, it was frustrating. [James] Milner was a massive impact. If you look at the team that gaffer put out, we needed men to turn it around and Milner was a huge impact in that to understand what the group needed. He was fundamental.

"The whole group stuck together and now we're looking at Europe again. It's a mental season, one minute we're looking at relegation and now we're talking about Europe, it's great fun football, isn't it?"

Listen to Hurzeler on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• At 35 seconds, Jack Hinshelwood's opening goal was Brighton and Hove Albion's earliest in the Premier League, overtaking Alexis Mac Allister's effort after 49 seconds against Aston Villa in November 2022.

• Maxim Cuyper became just the third player to assist two goals in the opening five minutes of a Premier League match after Andrey Arshavin for Arsenal v Newcastle in February 2011, and Islam Slimani for Leicester v Manchester City in December 2016.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Fabian Hurzeler makes two changes to the Brighton side following a 3-1 defeat by Newcastle last week.

Lewis Dunk makes his first start since 21 March in place of Olivier Boscagli while injured Mats Wieffer is replaced by Maxim De Cuyper at right-back.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Minteh, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Welbeck, Mitoma, Kadioglu, De Cuyper, Gross.

Subs: Steele, March, Rutter, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, Ayari, O'Riley, Veltman.

Wolves manager Rob Edwards makes just one change from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland.

South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan comes in to replace Tolu Arokodare who drops to the bench, which also features defender Ladislav Krejci, who is back from injury.

Wolves XI: Bentley, Hugo Bueno, Santiago Bueno, Andre, Joao Gomes, Armstrong, Hwang, Mosquera, Lima, Toti, Mane.

Subs: Gracey, Doherty, Wolfe, Arokodare, Rodrigo Gomes, Bellegarde, Krejci, Tchatchoua, Angel Gomes.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Liverpool v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Wolves

• Fulham v Bournemouth - listen BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Sunderland v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Brentford (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Brentford", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I thought Brighton would get the better of Newcastle last week and they certainly had their chances. They ended up losing that game, but there is no way they won't win this time.

Wolves had an upturn in form for a while under Rob Edwards but it doesn't feel like they have sustained that improvement. Yes, they got a point against Sunderland last week, but the Black Cats played for more than an hour with 10 men.

The Seagulls are at home and are one of the teams who have sixth place in their sights. I don't see them slipping up.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Brighton look to get back on track in their European quest on Saturday (15:00 BST) against a Wolves side yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season.

Hurzeler in it for the long-term at Brighton

This summer promises to be a managerial merry-go-round with several clubs and head coaches involved in the various imminent vacancies – but Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler won't be among them.

Hurzeler's new long-term deal comes with the Seagulls firmly in the mix to qualify for Europe, despite losing at Newcastle last weekend, a defeat which halted a run of four wins in five games.

The 3-1 scoreline was a bit misleading as Brighton dominated possession but failed to take their chances and were guilty of defensive errors. But they showed enough fight to suggest they will be determined to ensure that this weekend they don't suffer back-to-back league defeats for just the second time this season.

Hosting a poor Wolves side should also help on that front, especially given that the Seagulls are unbeaten in their last eight league games against the Molineux side (W5, D3) since a 1-0 home loss in December 2021.

But there are a host of other teams also in European contention - and with a trip to Leeds and a visit from in-form Manchester United to come, this is a game Brighton need to win.

Wolves seeking first league away win

It's been a miserable season for already relegated Wolves but it's been particularly grim away from Molineux, where they have at least won matches.

Wolves' only victory away from home this season came in the FA Cup against League Two side Grimsby Town, where they scored with their only shot on target in the match.

They haven't won away from home in this season's Premier League. In total, they are winless in their last 19 away Premier League matches (D5, L14), their worst such run since 2004, when they were winless in 23 games on the road.

Behind this damning statistic is the fact that Wolves have scored just seven goals in 17 away Premier League matches this season, an average of just 0.41 per game.

It's half the total of the team with the next worst record, which is Sunderland, who have scored 14 on the road. It's only just over a third of the total of Burnley, the team nearest to them in the table, who have scored 20 away goals.

Failure to score in both of their remaining away games would see Wolves equal the lowest-ever average of away goals scored in a single Premier League season. That record is held by Norwich City, whose seven goals in 19 away matches in 2019-20 gave them an average of 0.37.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton defender Joel Veltman says head coach Fabian Hurzeler "speaks our language" and "100% deserves" his new contract extension.

Hurzeler, 33, signed a new long-term deal at the club on Thursday. He is the youngest manager in Premier League history and has his side eighth in the table, on 50 points with three matches remaining, as they seek European football for only the second time in the club's history.

"He [Hurzeler] has done well for the club," Veltman, who is two years older than his head coach, told BBC Radio Sussex.

"He deserves this extension 100%. We will try and get to the next level with the club and that's what he has been doing now for two years in a row fighting for Europe.

"I think we are in a good place, fighting for the European places.

"For me, because of his age he speaks our language a bit more. He has really good staff around him who are really close to the players. The mix of not just him but his staff also are a good mix to be around here."

The Seagulls host already relegated Wolves on Sunday, before a trip to Leeds and a visit from Manchester United on the final day.

"It's just the final push," Veltman added.

"Last three games, get everything out of it, and then everyone will go their own ways. That's the mindset at the moment - three finals. At the end we have to see where we are at."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

Explore more Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Fabian Hurzeler has said one of his aims is "to build a high-performance culture", after signing his new long-term deal as Brighton head coach, because that puts them in a better position to win silverware in the long-term.

We asked for your views on what his main priorities should be.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: The only thing that has been consistent about our "on-pitch performances" in the last two seasons is the inconsistency. I'm still not 100% convinced by Fabian, but I was never one of those calling for him to go when things were spiralling this season and, now he has signed a new contract, I'm sure all genuine supporters will be wishing him success.

Luke: Good that we have some certainty going into the summer. Now we need a summer transfer window that really strengthens the first 11, regardless of if we are in Europe or not.

Ian: With a couple of new signings and retaining key players, I am confident that Fabian can take us to Champions League football in the next two seasons.

Jon: Firstly, getting into Europe so we have a chance of holding on to key players like JP and Ferdy. The obvious summer priority is boosting our forward line so we have more options, what with Welbeck getting older and our young Greeks lacking experience.